A Burton village clergyman says he has found peace after turning his hand to woodwork to help recover from a breakdown caused by a heavy workload.

He now makes pens with hand-crafted wooden cases, which he sells online. Any money he makes is donated to charity.

Reverend Ian Whitehead, who covers three parishes, started his career as a factory worker after following the same path as the majority of his family, but he later found his true calling as a vicar back in the nineties.

But after taking on responsibility for three churches, Ian suffered mental health problems and turned to craftmanship and wood-turning to help him regain balance in his life, he says.

Reverend Ian Whitehead in St Mary's Church, Rolleston

Today Ian, who was ordained back in 1995, has a large variety of daily tasks and on a normal morning will conduct his prayer, read a Christian book or magazine and write an entry into his journal before breaking for lunch.

He will then engage in discussions with colleagues, have a nap and then end with a short prayer before visits to local parish meetings.

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Ian took on his "varied but balanced" day after his heavy workload and commitment to his community resulted in a breakdown a few years ago.

Ian, whose workload covers St Mary's Church, in Rolleston, Holy Trinity Church, in Anslow and St Mary's Church, in Tutbury, said: "I have many different responsibilities. As well as being a caretaker for the beautiful buildings that I have the privilege to look after, I am also an ordained minister, a wedding planner, a mediator and a sort of church Google search engine for whatever people come into the church for.

In his spare time, Ian turns his hand to one of his favourite past times, wood turning, where he creates a variety of lovely items from pens to bowls and much more

"This is just a fraction of what I do and are part of being a parish priest but can sometimes overwhelm me and take over. Despite what people might think, rectors like myself are not actually paid to work.

"We get an allowance not to work so that we are available for members of the parish. This means I now have many more people who are in search of my time, which leaves me with little time to myself.

"2006 was a very hard year for me and I was finding it difficult to study and even found myself unwilling and unable to move. So I decided that something had to change and I needed to make time for myself.

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"Mental health can still be seen by many as a stigma but it actually affects so many of us so perhaps we need to talk about it more. I know it isn’t for everyone as some people don’t know how to deal with it.

"If you don't want to talk to your friends, then try talking to God and tell him what is worrying you.

"Through my dark days, I found that God and Jesus were there and helped me find my focus, maybe you will find he is also there for you too."

The health scare made Ian re-evaluate his life and while he admits he would never want to do anything other than serve the public, he wanted to focus on himself more and decided his hand at something new.

Here are just some of the items created by Ian

He said: "When I was at school in my younger days I tried my hand at painting, something I was pretty reasonable at, but I soon noticed that time had not increased my skill in it, so I looked back into my family's history to see what other skills I might have in me, that I didn't know about.

"I discovered that engineering seemed to play a big part with the family being involved in milling, turning and universal boring.

"So I had a think about it and the most practical option would be to try the turning, so I purchased a secondhand lathe and started creating what my family called ornamental firewood, the reason being is that most of it ended up on the fire!

Ian is pictured in St Mary's Church, Rolleston, which is just one of three churches he is responsible for

"I stuck at it and have managed to get more skilled and gain more confidence and now I produce many items that I sell under the name of Rev'o'lution.

"The thing that satisfies me the most, is that with each project I do, I can see the creation from beginning and also, most importantly, I get to see it completed.

"This is something I don't get to see much in other areas, as there is always something else to do."

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Ian donates all the profits from Rev'o'lution to Almshouses, a consolidated charity in Burton so that they can continue their vital work in the community.

He said: "As part of my daily routine I will write about how I am feeling, what's going through my mind and any plans, dream or ideas I have. I have to be completely open to myself and even put down the what ifs that are going through my head too.

"In the afternoon, I will either have a little sleep, as being honest with yourself and confronting your fears and problems does take it out of you, or I will go for a walk, just sit in the sun or anything else that might relax me.

"Though this does help me, there are times when I need to take my days off to not just retreat to my little garage that I have converted into a workshop.

Ian explored wood turning as a way of finding balance in his busy life, after a mental breakdown.

"I have what is called a clergy quiet day where I take a day off from the parish, the house and the office. It is a day that usually lasts from nine until five, which I give to God but he also gives to me.

"This is often at the Diocesan retreat house at Shallowford, a lovely place where the staff there give you the space you need and welcome me with a smile, good food and a brilliant setting in which I simply stop and relax. Someone has to care for the carers and this place does that for me."

Despite his past troubles and his busy schedule, Ian says he feels his role as a Reverend is an honour and his love for his job means he will not be giving it up for the foreseeable future.

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He said: "The church was once the centre of the community, back in the day there were only two main buildings that people used to socialise in. One was the pub and the other was the church.

"Times have changed and the church has had to change with it too. As numbers have reduced it can be difficult to raise the funds needed to keep these historical centrepieces of the community alive and going for future generations.

"Over the past 20 years there has been a reduction in the amount of clergy and so, this is why I have three parishes to care for. I do love my job and I feel it is an honour and a privilege."